All changes to the Druid in the 2024 Player’s Handbook

The 2024 Druid uses a primal connection to nature to grant them supernatural powers. They can shapeshift to gain the eyes of hawk, speed of a cheetah, or strengh of a bear. Their magic calls on the full power of nature, with a mixture of spells that can heal or strike like a thunderstorm. This guide explains the new Druid rules, and everything you need to know to build a Druid adventurer.

If you want to build a Druid from scratch, STOP reading here. Our Druid 5e guide has all the information you need – this is simply a changelog of changes between the two versions of fifth edition.

We also have guides to the other DnD classes, plus DnD 2024 backgrounds and DnD races: these will be pretty important for your future Druid builds.

Here’s all you need to know about the DnD 2024 Druid:

Proficiencies and equipment

A Druid starts play with 50 GP or the following equipment:

• Leather armor
• Shield
• Sickle
• Druidic Focus (quarterstaff)
• Explorer’s Pack
• Herbalism Kit
• 9 GP

That Herbalism Kit is particularly handy. With the DnD tools rules, you can use this to craft Healer’s Kits and Potions of Healing. With access to healing magic, this makes the Druid a good alternative to a healing-focused DnD 2024 Cleric.

DnD 2024 Druid spells

Level: One

Druids start out knowing two DnD cantrips from their spell list, which can be replaced with other cantrips whenever you gain a Druid level. Each time they take a DnD long rest, the Druid can prepare a certain number of spells with spell levels from the Druid spell list – to begin with, that’s four spells. The number of spells of a given level that they can cast between long rests is limited by their spell slots.

Here’s the spell slots and prepared spells your Druid has in the 2024 rules:

Your Druid’s DnD character build will depend a lot on your choice of spells (or your choice to forego them to enable more shapeshifting).

Druidic

Level: One

You know the Druidic language, and always have the spell Speak with Animals prepared. You can leave hidden messages which Druidic speakers can obviously see and decode, but which others can only spot with a DC 15 Intelligence check, and will need magic to decipher.

Primal Order

Level: One

You gain one of two benefits:

• Magician – You know an extra Druid cantrip, and you gain a bonus to Arcana or Nature checks equal to your Wisdom modifier.
• Warden – You gain proficiency with martial weapons and medium armor.

While Druids are firmly in the squishy spellcaster club, the Warden option isn’t particularly tempting. The spell Shillelagh means a simple club will function as well as most martial weapon, and you can make up for your low AC with DnD races or spells like Barkskin.

Wild Shape

Level: Two

DnD Wild Shape rules let you adopt the form of an animal as a bonus action, choosingfrom a limited list of ‘known forms’. At first, you know four forms, which can be any Beast stat block with a maximum challenge rating of 1/4 and no fly speed. You can swap one of your known forms for another each time you take a long rest.

Your known forms expand as you level up:

You stay in your new body for a number of hours equal to half your Druid level – unless you Wild Shape again, become incapacitated, die, or end the form early as a bonus action.

At level two, you have two Wild Shape each long rest, and this increases to three at level six, and four at level 17. When you take a short rest, you regain one spent use of Wild Shape, and you regain all spent uses on a long rest.

While in Wild Shape, you can still speak, and you keep your creature type, hit points, hit point dice, class features, languages, feats, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You keep your skill and saving throw proficiencies too, but you can choose to use those of the Beast if they’re higher than yours, and you gain any other proficiencies the Beast has. Everything else is replaced by the Beast’s stat block. Shapeshifting won’t break your concentration, but you can’t cast any new spells.

You gain temporary hit points equal to your Druid level while in Wild Shape, but otherwise keep your original HP. While this means you can’t turn into a rhino to become a tank, it does make you a lot more resilient when you turn into a squishy little crow.

The 2024 Player’s Handbook recommends the following beast forms for beginners:

• Rat – Has 20ft climb speed and doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks, though we wouldn’t recommend turning into a rat mid-combat.
• Riding Horse – Your hooves do reasonable damage, and you can serve as a mount.
• Spider – Spider Climb and tiny size makes this the perfect Wild Shape for stealth.
• Wolf – Pack Tactics and the bite attack make this a suitable combat option.

Wild Companion

Level: Two

Wild Companion lets you spend a use of Wild Shape and a magic action to cast the spell Find Familiar without material components. You summon a fey creature that disappears after your next long rest.

Druid subclass

Level: Three

The 2024 Player’s Handbook features four Druid subclasses:

Circle of the Land

DnD 2024 Land Druids have the following abilities:

Circle of the Land spells

Any time you take a long rest, you choose one of four spell lists. Until your next long rest, you always have the spells in that list prepared.

Arid land

Polar Land

Temperate Land

Tropical Land

Land’s Aid

The level-three Land’s Aid feature lets you spend an action and a Wild Shape use to choose a point within 60 feet. Flowers and thorns grow in a 10-foot-radius sphere, and each creature of your choice inside it must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 2d6 necrotic damage on a failure or half as much on a success. One creature in that same sphere can also regain 2d6 hit points. The damage and healing both increase by 1d6 at level 10 and 14.

Natural Recovery

At level six and once per long rest, Natural Recovery lets you cast a level-one or higher spell from your chosen Circle spell list without using a spell slot. When you finish a short rest, you can recover spell slots with a combined level equal to or less than half your Druid level (rounded up). This too can only be done once per long rest.

Nature’s Ward

The level-ten feature Nature’s Ward now makes you immune to being poisoned, and you’re resistant to a damage type associated with your current choice of land. It’s a very flexible damage resistance, but isn’t ideal for dragon hunting – if you’re resistant to a dragon’s breath, it will be resistant to your circle spells.

Nature’s Sanctuary

Finally, at level 14, Nature’s Sanctuary lets you spend an action and a Wild Shape use to summon spectral plants in a 15-foot cube within 120 feet. They give you and allies in this area half cover, and everyone in that range benefits from the resistance you get from Nature’s Ward. The cube can be moved 60 feet as a bonus action, and it ends early if you become incapacitated or die.

Circle of the Moon

The DnD 2024 Moon Druid has these abilities:

Circle of the Moon spells

Moon Druids always have the following spell list prepared:

Circle Forms

At level three, Circle Forms allows you to wild shape into a beast with a a max CR equal to your Druid levels divided by three. Your armor class in Beast form is 13 plus your Wisdom modifier (unless the Beast’s AC is higher). You also gain temporary HP equal to three times your Druid level when you transform.

Improved Circle Forms

At level six, your Wild Shape form can choose to deal radiant damage instead of normal damage, and you can add your Wisdom modifier to Constitution saves.

Moonlight Step

At level ten, you can teleport up to 30 feet as a bonus action, after which you have advantage on the next attack roll you make before the end of that turn. This can be done a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier before you need a long rest, but you can also spend spell slots of level two or above to regain a use.

Lunar Form

Finally, Lunar Form lets you deal an extra 2d10 radiant damage once per turn when you hit with a Wild Shape form’s attack. You can also now teleport another willing creature with Moonlight Step.

Circle of the Sea

This is an entirely new subclass for DnD 2024, so we’ve put together a dedicated DnD 2024 Circle of the Sea Druid guide – head there for more info on building a character. Otherwise, here’s a summary of the Sea Druid’s subclass features:

Circle of the Sea spells

These spells are always prepared for a Sea Druid:

Wrath of the Sea

At level three, you can spend a bonus action and one use of your Wild Shape to create a five-foot emanation of ocean spray that surrounds you. It lasts for 10 minutes or until you dismiss it (no action needed), use this ability again, or become incapacitated.

When you first create the emanation and as a bonus action on future turns, you can choose a creature you can see inside the emanation to make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. If they fail, they take cold damage, which you calculate by rolling d6s equal to your Wisdom modifier. If the creature is Large or smaller, it also gets pushed up to 15 away from you on a failed save.

Aquatic Affinity

At level six, your Wrath of the Sea emanation is now 10 feet rather than five. You also gain a swim speed equal to your speed.

Stormborn

The level-10 Stormborn feature gives you a fly speed equal to your speed, plus resistance to cold, lightning, and thunder damage. These benefits are only applied while Wrath of the Sea is active.

Oceanic Gift

The level-14 capstone lets you create your Wrath of the Sea emanation surrounding another willing creature instead of yourself. They gain all its benefits, but they use your spell save DC and Wisdom modifier where the rules call for these. Alternatively, you can spend two uses of Wild Shape instead of one to give the emanation to yourself and another target.

Circle of the Stars

The Circle of Stars Druid has these abilities:

Star Map

At level three, you gain a star chart as a spellcasting focus. You always have Guidance and Guiding Bolt prepared, the latter of which you can cast without a spell slot a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier per long rest.

Starry Form

Also at level three, Starry Form gives you an alternative way to use your Wild Shape. By spending a bonus action and a use of Wild Shape, you shed bright light and dim light in a 20-foot radius. You choose one of the following forms when you use Starry Form:

• Archer – When activated, and as a bonus action on future turns, you make a ranged spell attack that deals 1d8 plus your Wisdom modifier in radiant damage.
• Chalice – When you cast a spell that restores HP to a creature using a spell slot, you or another target within 30 feet gains HP equaling 1d8 plus your Wisdom modifier.
• Dragon – When you make Intelligence and Wisdom checks or concentration saves, you treat any roll below a 10 as a 10.

Cosmic Omen

During a long rest, you roll a die. This lets you use one of two reactions during the next day, depending on what you rolled. If the roll was even, you can spend a reaction to add 1d6 to a D20 roll made by a creature you see within 30 feet. If the original roll was odd, you can spend a reaction to subtract 1d6 from a D20 roll about to be made by a creature you see within 30 feet.

The reaction can be used a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier before you need to restore its uses with a long rest.

Twinkling Constellations

At level 10, your Archer and Chalice Starry Forms deal or heal 2d8 rather than 1d8. The Dragon form also gives you a fly speed of 20 feet, and you can change which Starry Form you have active on each of your turns.

Full of Stars

Finally, at level 14, you become resistant to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage while using Starry Form.

Ability Score Improvement

Level: Four, Eight, 12, 16

You gain one of the following:

• +1 to two DnD stats
• +2 to one stat
• A DnD 2024 feat (see our guide for options)

Wild Resurgence

Level: Five

On each turn, if you have no Wild Shape uses left, you can spend a spell slot to regain one (no action required). Once per long rest, you can also spend a Wild Shape use (no action required) to regain a level-one spell slot.

Elemental Fury

Level: Seven

Choose one of the following:

• Potent Spellcasting – Add your Wisdom modifier to damage dealt by your Druid cantrips.
• Primal Strike – Each turn, when you hit a creature with a weapon or Beast form attack, you can deal an extra 1d8 cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage.

Both are great options, depending on your build. Moon Druids who fight in Wild Shape or anyone who plans to spam Shilellagh should stick to Primal Strike. Otherwise, you’ll probably get maximum value out of Potent Spellcasting.

Improved Elemental Fury

Level: 15

Choose one of the following ways to improve your Elemental Fury feature:

• Potent Spellcasting – Druid cantrips with a range of 10 feet or greater now have a range of 300 feet.
• Primal Strike – Your Primal Strike damage increases to 2d8.

Again, Potent Spellcasting feels like the clear winner here.

Beast Spells

Level: 18

You can now cast spells in Wild Shape form – except for those with a costly material component or that consume a material component.

Epic Boon

Level: 19

Like all classes, the Druid gets an Epic Boon feat. See our DnD 2024 feats guide for options to choose from.

Archdruid

Level: 20

When you roll Initiative and have no Wild Shape uses left, you automatically regain one use. Additionally, for every ten years that pass, your body only ages one year.

You can now turn Wild Shape uses into spell slots. Each use of your Wild Shape ability equals two spell levels, which must be used to create a single spell slot. For example, if you want to create a level-six spell slot, you must spend three uses of your Wild Shape ability.

We’ll be updating this guide as new books hit the DnD release schedule. If you’re planning to build a new character, we have a great guide recommending DnD character sheets that you’re bound to find useful.